Gabi and Brazil had to dig deep to capture the bronze medal from the 2025 FIVB Women's World Championship, surviving the relentless attack of Yoshino Sato and Japan.
Brazil had to dig deep but ultimately prevailed over Japan, 25-12, 25-17, 19-25, 27-29, 18-16, to capture the bronze medal in the 2025 FIVB Women’s World Championship on September 7 in Bangkok.
After racing to a 2-0 lead, Brazil struggled to contain Japan’s relentless fightback, which forced a decider.
Still, the South Americans held firm in the tense fifth set to secure their fifth podium finish in the last six world championships.
Captain Gabi carried the Brazilians with a spectacular 35-point effort built on 33 attacks.
Julia Bergmann and Rosamaria provided steady support with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
Japan’s Yoshina Sato nearly stole the spotlight, matching Gabi shot-for-shot with 34 points—29 of which came in sets three through five to fuel her team’s comeback attempt.
Mayu Ishikawa added 23 points, all on attacks, as Japan narrowly missed its first medal since 2010.
Still, the campaign marked Japan’s best finish since that previous podium year.
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[Editor’s note: This article was written by a member of the One Sports Digital with the help of AI, and then checked by the staff to ensure accuracy.]